Ozarks-Based HillBenders Guitarist Jim Rea On Bluegrass, Mixing Genres And Opening For The Who
St. Louis on the Air · St. Louis Public Radio
May 22, 201922m 10s
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (kwmu-adswizz.streamguys1.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
English rock band The Who first released “Tommy,” the wildly successful rock opera, on May 23, 1969 – exactly 50 years ago this Thursday, when Missouri-based bluegrass band The HillBenders are set to open for The Who at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre. It might seem an unlikely concert pairing, except that The HillBenders’ 2015 album is a full-length Tommy tribute, bluegrass-opry style. "St. Louis on the Air" producer Evie Hemphill talks with Jim Rea, the group’s guitarist and musical director, as he and the rest of the HillBenders anticipate sharing a stage with The Who.